The bearskin: Everything you need to know about the iconic ceremonial headwear – Forces News

The unmistakable sight of a Guardsman standing smartly to attention on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace is as much an icon of British culture as the red telephone box or a cup of tea.  
Synonymous with guardsmen are the striking black headdresses worn by them, a piece of uniform called the bearskin.
But what is it all about?
Here, we examine the history behind the frequently controversial headwear, exploring which other armies around the world wear them and the process behind their manufacture.
Are bearskins made of real bear fur and just how tall are the men and women underneath them? 
Here is all the gen on the bearskin …
Although the bearskin cap is synonymous with British foot guard regiments, they are in fact worn by several armies around the world, exclusively for ceremonial purposes.
The list of bearskin-wearing armed forces includes the Belgian Royal Escort, the military bands of the Kenyan Defence Force and even the Governor’s Foot Guard of the Connecticut State Guard in the USA.
All in all, no fewer than 14 nations permit their military to wear the bearskin as part of ceremonial uniform, but it has not always been a ceremonial matter.
The earliest record of a bearskin cap being worn by soldiers was in Europe at about the midpoint of the 17th century.
However, the style seemingly did not catch on until about a hundred years later when in 1761, French grenadiers wore them in imitation of their Prussian counterparts.
For the early adopters of the bearskin within British military units, the headdress was worn in battle during the Crimean War.
But, with the introduction of the khaki uniform at the start of the 20th century, the bearskin became a purely ceremonial item of clothing.
Britain had first authorised the wearing of bearskins following the Battle of Waterloo, singling out the Grenadier Guards as its sole proprietors but within 20 years this was extended to include the other foot guard regiments and latterly the Royal Scots Greys.
Today, the headdress is worn by the five foot guard regiments of the British Army (Grenadier, Scots, Welsh, Irish, Coldstream), officers of fusilier regiments, the Scots Dragoon Guards and members of the Honourable Artillery Company. In addition, the Drum Major of the Band of the Royal Highland Fusiliers wears one on parade.
The bearskin is only worn as part of full dress.
The use of the bearskin cap has been a controversial matter for the Ministry of Defence for decades.
The continued production of the item for use by foot guard regiments and, by association, the Royal Family, has attracted criticism because the bearskins used on parade by the likes of the Welsh Guards are authentic bear skin – made from the leftover skins of culled black bears.
The most prominent opponent to the use of the bearskin is animal rights charity People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) which has campaigned relentlessly to end the wearing of authentic bearskin caps by British Army regiments. 
More than £1m has been spent on bearskin caps in recent years, with each ceremonial cap now costing more than £2,000, according to figures from the Ministry of Defence.
The cost of the black bear fur caps used by the Guards Division has risen by 30% in just a year. The figures were revealed following a Freedom of Information request by animal welfare campaigners.
The cost of the caps worn by the King’s Guard rose from £1,560 each in 2022 to £2,040 in 2023.
Figures from the MOD show that 24 new caps were bought in 2023 and 13 in 2022. 
PETA has long opposed the use of real fur on ethical grounds, with the charity arguing that the rising costs make it a financial issue as well.
The standard bearskin worn on parade by a guardsman is 18 inches tall and weighs one and a half pounds.
The addition of the item on top of a soldier’s head makes the person under it look a lot bigger and indeed, this was precisely what early bearskin hats were designed to achieve.
The wearing of bearskins added to the height and impressiveness of soldiers on the battlefield.
Guardsmen have historically been tall men anyway. Before the Second World War, to be a Grenadier Guard in Queen’s Company, a recruit had to be at least 6ft 2in tall – but that’s not the case any more. 
The answer lies in Canada where thousands of wild black bears are culled each year due to bear population control measures.
Under Canadian law, no more than 5% of the wild bear population can be culled annually.
Of the approximately 20,000 that are ‘legally harvested’, the supplier of the ceremonial bearskin cap to the Ministry of Defence takes about 100 skins to be used for new uniforms.
Each newly produced bearskin uses one whole skin from a culled black bear, at a cost to the supplier of about £650.
In 1997, Lord Gilbert, then minister for procurement at the Ministry of Defence, said that he wanted bearskins phased out as soon as possible and, in 2005, Labour MP Chris Mullin called for a ban stating that they had “no military significance and involved unnecessary cruelty”.
In the same year, the MOD began a two-year trial of other materials for the headwear. However, the bearskin continues to be made of the natural fur of the black bear.
In 2020, the MOD said that it had “examined various alternative materials in the past” but none had “come remotely close” to matching the natural properties of bear fur. 
But in response to fresh calls to end the tradition of using the skins of culled bears, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has hinted that change could be coming at the end of the UK’s transition period of leaving the European Union.
In a statement, the department said: “We have some of the highest welfare standards in the world and that is both a source of pride and a clear reflection of British attitudes towards animals. 
“Fur farming has rightly been banned in this country for nearly 20 years and at the end of the transition period we will be able to properly consider steps to raise our standards still further.”
In response to the recent PETA complaints about the bearskin caps being financially as well as ethically irresponsible, an MOD spokesperson told the BBC: “We are open to exploring faux fur alternatives if they pass the necessary requirements.”
Of the 14 nations around the globe which use bearskins as part of ceremonial uniforms, few have changed to using synthetic materials instead of real fur.
Two European nations have made the transition – Italy and Sweden – and with renewed pressure directed at Whitehall officials from campaigning groups, perhaps the days of the traditional bearskin on military parades in the UK are numbered.
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